With this utility, you can generate polyline encodings
interactively on a map or by entering coordinates.
You can also decode polylines into coordinates
by using this tool in reverse.
Enter an address, zip code, location, or landmark to center the map
and click Search.
Click the map to place a marker that represents the start location of
your polyline.
The coordinates of your marker show in the Latitude
and Longitude boxes.
Click the Add Location button.
This adds the coordinates to the Location list
and generates an encoding in the Encoded Polyline box.
Continue to place markers on the map to add all locations on your polyline
to the Location list and the Encoded polyline.
Editing coordinates
To delete a location, select it in the Location list and press
Delete Selected Location.
To delete all locations and start over, click Delete All Locations.
You cannot edit locations. To edit a location, delete and re-add it.
If the location is not at the end of your list,
delete the location and all the ones following.
Create a polyline by entering coordinates
If you have an existing list of coordinates, instead of placing markers,
you can manually enter the latitudes and longitudes in their respective boxes.
Decode a polyline into coordinates
Enter your polyline into the Encoded Polyline box.
If your polyline contains escaped characters,
click the checkbox to unescape them.
Click Decode Polyline.
The coordinates show in the Location list,
and the line is drawn on the map.
This utility uses the Maps JavaScript API. Specifically,
encoding and decoding of paths are handled by the static methods encodePath()
and decodePath() in the google.maps.geometry.encoding namespace.
See the Encoded Polyline Algorithm
Format for information about the encoding scheme.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-18 UTC."],[],[],null,["Google Maps can generate a simple polyline from two or more latitude/longitude coordinates.\nLearn more about\n[polyline encoding](/maps/documentation/utilities/polylinealgorithm),\n[simple polylines](/maps/documentation/javascript/examples/polyline-simple),\nand\n[complex polylines](/maps/documentation/javascript/examples/polyline-complex).\n\nWith this utility, you can generate polyline encodings\ninteractively on a map or by entering coordinates.\nYou can also decode polylines into coordinates\nby using this tool in reverse.\n\nHowever, if you have an existing encoded polyline or a list of coordinates as a\n[GeoJSON linestring](https://geojson.org/)\nand want to view the polyline on a map, use the\n[Interactive polyline decoder utility](/maps/documentation/routes/polylinedecoder).\n\n**Create a polyline interactively on the map**\n\n1. Enter an address, zip code, location, or landmark to center the map and click **Search**.\n2. Click the map to place a marker that represents the start location of your polyline.\n3. The coordinates of your marker show in the **Latitude** and **Longitude** boxes.\n4. Click the **Add Location** button. This adds the coordinates to the **Location list** and generates an encoding in the **Encoded Polyline** box.\n5. Continue to place markers on the map to add all locations on your polyline to the **Location list** and the **Encoded polyline**.\n\n**Editing coordinates**\n\n- To delete a location, select it in the **Location list** and press **Delete Selected Location**.\n- To delete all locations and start over, click **Delete All Locations**.\n- You cannot edit locations. To edit a location, delete and re-add it. If the location is not at the end of your list, delete the location and all the ones following.\n\n**Create a polyline by entering coordinates**\n\n- If you have an existing list of coordinates, instead of placing markers, you can manually enter the latitudes and longitudes in their respective boxes.\n\n**Decode a polyline into coordinates**\n\n1. Enter your polyline into the **Encoded Polyline** box.\n2. If your polyline contains escaped characters, click the checkbox to unescape them.\n3. Click **Decode Polyline** . The coordinates show in the **Location list**, and the line is drawn on the map.\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|\n| Input an address to center the map: Search | |------------|---| | Latitude: | | | Longitude: | | | | | || \u003cbr /\u003e **Locations list** |\n| |-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | **Warning**: Special characters in the encoded polylines returned in JSON responses are escaped. To use these polylines here you must unescape them. | | Encoded Polyline: | |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | Unescape special characters in the encoded polylines returned in JSON responses | | | || ||\n\nThis utility uses the Maps JavaScript API. Specifically,\nencoding and decoding of paths are handled by the static methods `encodePath()`\nand `decodePath()` in the `google.maps.geometry.encoding` namespace.\nSee the [Encoded Polyline Algorithm\nFormat](/maps/documentation/utilities/polylinealgorithm) for information about the encoding scheme."]]
